[xi]

PREFACE

A narrative of an oddundertaking to a foreign land. Odd, in the first place, insomuchthat for the greater part of a year a man’s tongue was mute to thelanguage of his race, for the land where he travelled was native:first to the Hausa people; later to Hausa, Beri-Beri, Fulani andTuareg; and later still to Tuareg alone; while over all there was amere handful of French Europeans, who were the militaryadministrators of law and order.

The country was that known as the Territoire Militaire du Nigerof the Western Sudan, wherein, remote and in the midst of desolateseas of sand, lies the wild brooding mountain country of Aïr orAsben—which was the traveller’s goal.

It might be said that the traveller was a rude man, for he wasuntutored in the deep studies of the scholar of many languages, asin a measure might be expected and understood of one whoseoccupation called him from day to day to don rough clothing andshoulder a rifle and march outside the frontiers ofcivilisation.

Clumsy, therefore, were his beginnings in speech with the peopleof the land; clumsy also his studies and understanding of allthings new and strange which unfolded before his eyes in thatamazing succession of novelty that taxes a[xii] balanced capacity of observation when onestands spell-bound at the entrance of an unexpected wonderland.Nevertheless, day by day, confusion became less; small words cameof many tongues; piece by piece threads of understanding becamewoven into something durable and of the character oftrustworthiness.

So that to-day I—for, alas, I must use that personal pronounwhich is hateful to me, and admit that I am the traveller, so thatI may shoulder the full responsibility as to the faithfulness ofthis nar

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